Generally, a radio system is comprised of a transmitter and/or receiver and an antenna system that is used to receive radio signals that are provided to a receiver and/or transmit radio signals produced by a transmitter. For convenience, the portion of a radio system comprised of a transmitter and/or receiver will hereinafter be referred to as a transceiver. In many situations, the relative positions of elements of the antenna system are static. For instance, commercial radio stations typically employ an antenna system that is situated on a geographical high point in the broadcast area. The positions of the elements of such an antenna system are substantially static. However, in many other situations, it is desirable to allow the relative positions of the elements of an antenna system to be altered to prevent damage to elements of the antenna system that could render the system inoperative. This is particularly so in portable radio system applications. For instance, it is not uncommon for a portion of an antenna system that extends away from a vehicle or a portion of an antenna system that extends away from the body of a foot soldier to encounter an obstacle that could damage the antenna system.
There are at least two approaches to allowing the relative relationships of elements of an antenna system to be altered. The first approach employs a spring that is interposed between two portions of an antenna system and, when one portion of the antenna system is engaged by a force, allows the relative positions of the two portions to be altered. When the position altering force is subsequently removed, the energy stored in the spring is used to return the portions of the antenna system to their original positions. The other approach is to provide a connector between the two portions of the antenna system that allows the relative positions of the two portions to be altered when one portion is engaged by a force. However, in this approach, the connector does not store any energy. So, when the force is no longer being applied to the engaged portion of the antenna system, the two portions of the antenna system do not return to their original positions but remain in whatever new relative positions resulted from the application of the force. A new force must be applied to return the portions of the antenna system to their original positions or to a different position from the original position or position resulting from the application of the force.